I knew that the forecast was rain so  I pulled loads of rhubarb, gathered two dozen eggs and took myself to the barn kitchen for an afternoon of cooking and listening to Radio 4.  The rhubarb quickly turned into crumbles with oat and butter and golden sugar topping.

I took out the pastry from the fridge ready to roll.  I always make the pastry the night before I need it and let it stretch and become pliable before I use it.  Neither mum nor I can understand why some of the best cooks we know buy their pastry.  It takes five minutes to make, no machinery is required and it rolls like a dream.  I am tempted to say “try this at home” but I know people will say “my hands are too hot or too cold” or “it never works for me”.  I think its all in the mind.

There are now six quiches to put in the freezer and two crumbles.  Why? Because we are expecting some visitors on Sunday for a veggie lunch in the barn……even though, to a man and a woman, I believe that they are all carnivores.  Let’s see if we can convert them.